Nature of ore-forming fluid and formation conditions of BIF-hosted gold mineralization in the Archean Amalia Greenstone Belt,South Africa: Constraints from fluid inclusion and stable isotope studies

Orogenic gold mineralization in the Amalia greenstone belt is hosted by oxide facies banded iron-formation (BIF). Hydrothermal alteration of the BIF layers is characterized by chloritization, carbonatization, hematization and pyritization, and quartz-carbonate veins that cut across the layers. The alteration mineral assemblages consist of ankerite-ferroan dolomite minerals, siderite, chlorite, hematite, pyrite and subordinate amounts of arsenopyrite and chalcopyrite. Information on the physico-chemical properties of the ore-forming fluids and ambient conditions that promoted gold mineralization at Amalia were deduced from sulfur, oxygen and carbon isotopic ratios, and fluid inclusions from quartz-carbonate samples associated with the gold mineralization.Microthermometric and laser Raman analyses indicated that the ore-forming fluid was composed of low salinity H₂O-CO₂ composition (~3 wt% NaCl equiv.). The combination of microthermometric data and arsenopyrite-pyrite geothermometry suggest that quartz-carbonate vein formation, gold mineralization and associated alteration of the proximal BIF wall rock occurred at temperature-pressure conditions of 300 ± 30 °C and ∼2 kbar. Thermodynamic calculations at 300 °C suggest an increase in fO₂ (10⁻³²–10⁻³⁰ bars) and corresponding decrease in total sulfur concentration (0.002–0.001 m) that overlapped the pyrite-hematite-magnetite boundary during gold mineralization. Although hematite in the alteration assemblage indicate oxidizing conditions at the deposit site, the calculated low fO₂ values are consistent with previously determined high Fe/Fe + Mg ratios (>0.7) in associated chlorite, absence of sulfates and restricted positive δ³⁴S values in associated pyrite. Based on the fluid composition, metal association and physico-chemical conditions reported in the current study, it is confirmed that gold in the Amalia fluid was transported as reduced bisulfide complexes (e.g., Au(HS)₂⁻). At Amalia, gold deposition was most likely a combined effect of increase in fO₂ corresponding to the magnetite-hematite buffer, and reduction in total sulfur contents due to sulfide precipitation during progressive fluid-rock interaction.The epigenetic features coupled with the isotopic compositions of the ore-forming fluid (δ³⁴S_ΣS = +1.8 to +2.3‰, δ¹⁸O_H2O = +6.6 to +7.9‰, and δ¹³C_ΣC = −6.0 to −7.7‰ at 300–330 °C) are consistent with an externally deep-sourced fluid of igneous signature or/and prograde metamorphism of mantle-derived rocks.     

南澜沧江带勐满热泉型金矿床成矿作用:热液蚀变与元素地球化学制约

勐满金矿床是西南三江特提斯造山带迄今为止报导的为数不多的热泉型金矿床之一,也是南澜沧江带唯一发现的该成因类型的金矿床。然而目前对勐满金矿床热液蚀变特征的分析不足和地球化学数据的缺乏,一直制约着对其成矿过程的深入理解。勐满金矿床原生矿体产于早古生代澜沧群曼来组片岩和侏罗纪花开左组碎屑岩不整合面附近,断裂构造导流、控矿作用显著。矿区两类围岩均发生强烈蚀变,但蚀变类型简单,仅为硅化和高岭土化,与金成矿密切相关。热液高岭土化的大量发育,反映围岩中的长石等含铝矿物与呈酸性的流体发生作用。全岩微量元素组成对比研究表明,近矿围岩蚀变过程中未发生明显的微量元素迁移。镜下观察到Au与黄铜矿等金属硫化物共生,元素相关性分析显示Au与Ag、Cu、Pb、As、S、Sb等元素有正相关趋势,表明它们由统一热液系统携带并发生卸载。在弱酸性成矿流体中,Au主要以金硫络合物的形式进行迁移。当含Au流体运移至地层不整合面附近时,与围岩反应并发生强烈高岭土化,导致流体中的SiO_2和高岭石含量急剧增加,逐渐在矿区导流断裂中沉淀下来。断裂变窄甚至封闭,流体内压持续升高,最终发生爆破,成矿流体强烈减压沸腾,引发金硫络合物失稳,Au发生卸载并沉淀。该过程反复多次发生,形成了矿区含金硅质角砾岩及蚀变岩型矿石。     

栗西沟尾矿坝地震响应及液化分析

采用不排水有效应力法,利用Geo-slope软件,对金堆城栗西沟尾矿坝进行了地震响应的综合分析与液化计算。结果显示: a .栗西沟尾矿坝在静态条件下是稳定的; b .在7度地震条件下,尾矿坝的加速度反应较小,其放大倍数为2.204; c .栗西沟尾矿坝内动剪应力和动孔压绝大部分是随着地震历时的增加而逐渐增大; d .坝内孔压比都较小,抗液化安全系数较大,但局部液化区的存在,仍可能影响到整个坝体的安全性,应在液化区采取加固措施。      

Epithermal gold veins in a caldera setting: Banská Hodruša, Slovakia

The central zone of the large Miocene tiavnica stratovolcano in the Western Carpathians hosts epithermal Au mineralization of intermediate-sulfidation type, located at deep levels of the historic Rozália base-metal mine at Banská Hodrua. The Au mineralization occurs as subhorizontal veins at the base of pre-caldera andesites, close to the roof of a subvolcanic granodiorite intrusion. The veins are dismembered by a set of quartz–diorite porphyry sills and displaced by the younger, steeply dipping, Rozália base-metal vein, and parallel structures. The base-metal vein structures are related to resurgent horst uplift in the caldera center. The Au mineralization formed during two stages. Based on fluid inclusion evidence, both stages formed from fluids of low salinity (0–3 wt% NaCl eq.), which underwent extensive boiling at moderate temperatures (280–330°C). Variable pressure conditions (39–95 bars, neglecting the effect of CO₂) indicate continual opening of the system and a transition from suprahydrostatic towards hydrodynamic conditions at shallow depths (~550 m). The fluid inclusions of the Rozália base-metal vein show homogenization temperature peaks at ~285 and 187°C and salinities between 1 and 4 wt% NaCl eq. Precipitation of Au is considered to be the result of prolonged boiling of fluids and associated decrease in Au solubility. Oxygen and hydrogen isotope data for quartz and carbonate from the Au veins show a relatively homogeneous fluid composition (–2.7 to 1.1¹⁸O, –78 to –62D). The combined ¹⁸O_fluid and D_fluid values suggest a mixed character of fluids, falling between the fields of typical magmatic and meteoric water influenced by ¹⁸O_fluid shift due to fluid–rock isotopic exchange. End stages of open-system boiling and fractionation could have been reached, at least locally. Significantly lower isotopic composition of meteoric fluids associated with Au mineralization compared to those associated with the intrusion-related mineralizations could have resulted from changing paleoclimate and/or analytical problems of extraction of water from fluid inclusions. The proposed genetic model for the Au deposit at Rozália mine highlights the importance of hydrothermal activity during the early stage of caldera collapse. Caldera subsidence established new, convective, fluid-flow paths along marginal caldera faults, which acted as infiltration zones. Major metal precipitation occurred within subhorizontal structures that formed as the result of a collapse-related stress field. A shallow, differentiated magma chamber at the base of the volcano was the likely source of heat and magmatic components for the mineralizing fluids.Editorial handling: S. Nicolescu     

The development of volcanic hosted massive sulfide and barite–gold orebodies on Wetar Island, Indonesia

Wetar Island is composed of Neogene volcanic rocks and minor oceanic sediments and forms part of the Inner Banda Arc. The island preserves precious metal-rich volcanogenic massive sulfide and barite deposits, which produced approximately 17 metric tonnes of gold. The polymetallic massive sulfides are dominantly pyrite (locally arsenian), with minor chalcopyrite which are cut by late fractures infilled with covellite, chalcocite, tennantite–tetrahedrite, enargite, bornite and Fe-poor sphalerite. Barite orebodies are developed on the flanks and locally overly the massive sulfides. These orebodies comprise friable barite and minor sulfides, cemented by a series of complex arsenates, oxides, hydroxides and sulfate, with gold present as <10 m free grains. Linear and pipe-like structures comprising barite and iron-oxides beneath the barite deposits are interpreted as feeder structures to the barite mineralization. Hydrothermal alteration around the orebodies is zoned and dominated by illite–kaolinite–smectite assemblages; however, local alunite and pyrophyllite are indicative of late acidic, oxidizing hydrothermal fluids proximal to mineralization. Altered footwall volcanic rocks give an illite K–Ar age of 4.7±0.16 Ma and a ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age of 4.93±0.21 Ma. Fluid inclusion data suggest that hydrothermal fluid temperatures were around 250–270°C, showed no evidence of boiling, with a mean salinity of 3.2 wt% equivalent NaCl. The ³⁴S composition of sulfides ranges between +3.3 and +11.7 and suggests a significant contribution of sulfur from the underlying volcanic edifice. The ³⁴S barite data vary between +22.4 and +31.0, close to Miocene seawater sulfate. Whole rock ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr analyses of unaltered volcanic rocks (0.70748–0.71106) reflect contributions from subducted continental material in their source region. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr barite data (0.7076–0.7088) indicate a dominant Miocene seawater component to the hydrothermal system. The mineral deposits formed on the flanks of a volcanic edifice at depths of ~2 km. Spectacular sulfide mounds showing talus textures are localized onto faults, which provided the main pathways for high-temperature hydrothermal fluids and the development of associated stockworks. The orebodies were covered and preserved by post-mineralization chert, gypsum, Globigerina-bearing limestone, lahars, subaqueous debris flows and pyroclastics rocks.     

The Sukari Gold Mine,Eastern Desert—Egypt: structural setting,mineralogy and fluid inclusion study

The Sukari gold mine (18.8 Mt @ 2.14 g/t Au) is located 15 km west of the Red Sea coast in the southern central Eastern Desert of Egypt. The vein-type deposit is hosted in Late Neoproterozoic granite that intruded island-arc and ophiolite rock assemblages. The vein-forming process is related to overall late Pan-African shear and extension tectonics. At Sukari, bulk NE–SW strike-slip deformation was accommodated by a local flower structure and extensional faults with veins that formed initially at conditions of about 300 °C and 1.5–2 kbar. Gold is associated with sulfides in quartz veins and in alteration zones. Pyrite and arsenopyrite dominate the sulfide ore beside minor sphalerite, chalcopyrite and galena. Gold occurs in three distinct positions: (1) anhedral grains (GI) at the contact between As-rich zones within the arsenian pyrite; (2) randomly distributed anhedral grains (GII) and along cracks in arsenian pyrite and arsenopyrite, and (3) large gold grains (GIII) interstitial to fine-grained pyrite and arsenopyrite. Fluid inclusion studies yield minimum vein-formation temperatures and pressures between 96 and 188 °C, 210 and 1,890 bar, respectively, which is in the range of epi- to mesothermal hydrothermal ore deposits. The structural evolution of the area suggests a long-term, cyclic process of repeated veining and leaching followed by sealing, initiated by the intrusion of granodiorite. This cyclic process explains the mineralogical features and is responsible for the predicted gold reserves of the Sukari deposits. A characteristic feature of the Sukari gold mineralization is the co-precipitation of gold and arsenic in pyrite and arsenopyrite.Editorial handling: H. Frimmel     

Geology and volcanic stratigraphy of the Canatuan and Malusok volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits,southwestern Mindanao,Philippines

The Canatuan and Malusok massive sulfide deposits are located near Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte, in southwestern Mindanao, Philippines. The Canatuan–Malusok area is underlain by the Jurassic–Cretaceous Tungauan schists, which form much of the Zamboanga Peninsula. The volcanic strata at Canatuan and Malusok can be traced for >7 km along strike and is host to at least three discrete massive sulfide bodies: Canatuan, Malusok and SE Malusok. Basal basaltic andesite volcanic rocks are generally chemically uniform and show only moderate alteration. The massive sulfide deposits occur in overlying rhyolitic to rhyodacitic volcanic rocks that are altered to a schistose assemblage of quartz, sericite, chlorite and pyrite. The alteration is texturally destructive but graded clastic beds are locally observed. Despite tropical saprolitic weathering, four lithogeochemical subunits of the felsic package are identified. Stratigraphic interleaving, however, has made correlation of these units over any significant distance difficult. The sulfide lenses are overlain by a few metres of felsic schists which locally contain manganese-bearing silicates and oxides that serve as a stratigraphic marker. Hangingwall andesitic volcaniclastic rocks are discontinuously preserved, although where present, they consist of regularly bedded mafic volcanic sandstones. The lateral continuity of a manganese-bearing marker and flanking felsic volcaniclastic intervals indicate that locally the volcanic strata form a homoclinal sequence. The Canatuan Au–Ag–Cu–Zn deposit consists of a gossan overlying a massive sulfide lens. The sulfides and gossan are flat lying and hosted within felsic volcanic rocks. The gossan is gold–silver-rich, and was formed by a combination of oxidation and volume collapse of the original sulfide lens. The sulfide minerals present below the current water table, are auriferous massive pyrite with base metal sulfides, with some supergene chalcocite. The transition from gossan to sulfides is very sharp, occurring at the water table. Massive sulfide deposits at Malusok are hosted in the same felsic sequence as Canatuan and they have similar base and precious metal contents. Only limited gossan has been found at Malusok. The bimodal nature of the volcanic rocks at Canatuan, together with their low HFSE contents, near-flat REE patterns and tholeiitic affinities, suggest that they formed in an intra-oceanic arc setting above a depleted mantle source. Mafic and felsic volcanic rocks of similar composition have been recovered from the Tonga-Kermadec and Izu-Bonin-Marianas island-arc systems in the western Pacific. Mafic rocks at Canatuan show no evidence for LILE enrichment that characterizes melts derived from metasomatized mantle under more mature arcs, suggesting that they are the product of a nascent, rather than a mature arc. There is no evidence from the REE, or other incompatible trace elements, that continental crust or evolved arc crust was involved in the generation of the Canatuan-Malusok volcanic rocks. Although it has been proposed that the Zamboanga metamorphic complex comprises microcontinental fragments of Eurasian affinity, our data do not support an evolved crustal setting for the Canatuan-Malusok volcanic rocks, which we suggest were derived from an intra-oceanic arc and subsequently accreted to the eastern Mindanao terrane.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00126-003-0350-7Editorial handling: R.R. Large     

刘屯金矿床Ⅰ,Ⅱ地段深部找矿观测

刘屯金矿床由刘屯（Ⅰ）和金屯（Ⅱ）两个地段组成。作者通过矿床地质特征、深部地物理特征、金矿体地球化学异常模式判别及矿体剥蚀程度预测等研究,对刘屯金矿床深部成矿提出了新看法,认为Ⅰ地段矿体已剥蚀到中下部,４０ｍ以下矿化灭灭;Ⅱ地段矿体剥蚀至头部,向下有较大延深,可进一步开展深部找矿。     

北票二道沟金矿床岩石稀土元素特征及岩石岩源

北票二道沟金矿床岩石稀土元素特征表明,其岩浆岩岩源均属上地幔。金矿母岩是来自上地幔不同部位的岩浆侵入岩石,金矿化与多次岩浆热液有关。     

辽宁省大石桥市吕王乡四道沟金矿选矿试验研究

本文介绍了四道沟金矿选矿试验。对采用的单一浮选流程中的主要工艺条件进行了讨论研究，结果表明该矿矿石可选性较好，指标稳定、可靠，可做矿床工业评价及开发利用的依据。